Like This In the Name of Love
by pyrexprodigy
Summary: Gumi Megpoid is a super popular vlogger. Most of the time, she covers up her soulmark. But everyone has an off day. She was bound to forget eventually. Rei/Gumi Soulmate AU oneshot


**The second installment in the "Soulmates AU" I've been working on. Because of course I would write 4,000+ words of dumb fanfic on Thanksgiving.**

**If anyone has a pairing request for the AU, please let me know! I'll do my best to work it in!**

* * *

_There is a pretty girl on the screen. She looks about college age, with her green hair pulled into a messy bun and her eyeliner left over from last night. Behind her, the bedroom of the girl's apartment is a mess. The lighting is messy and casts weird shadows for the camera to pick up, but the camera's an expensive model, good enough to make up for weird shadows._

_The girl waves at the camera with a warm smile. "Hi, everyone! I know it's been a little longer than usual since I last posted, but I just wanted to give you an update even though exams are going on."_

_She unconsciously allows her actions to be a little bit more eccentric for the camera, her hands moving in wide, fluid motions as she speaks. _

"_Soooo I'm probably going to do some recording this weekend for another song. You should probably expect that this weekend. Oh! And since Christmas is just around the corner, I'm sure a new mic isn't out of the question," the girl smiles again at the thought, using her hand to push messy strands of hair out of her face as she directs her attention at the camera. Smooth ink lines can be seen on her skin, standing out heavily. There are pretty flower patterns blooming on her skin like real plants. The vines tracing her fingers seem so lifelike; it's unsettling that they don't move with her._

"_So I guess I don't have much to say. I just wanted to reassure you guys that I'm alive. Oh! And if you have a topic you want me to talk about, you can leave it in the comments. As always." _

_With a final flash of that grin and a thumbs up, the video ends._

* * *

Gumi posts the video as soon as she's done editing it, yawning into her palm. It's too late for this, but since she hasn't done her usual weakly Tuesday video in about a month, she feels she owes it to her subscribers. She doesn't notice that she had forgotten to cover her soul mark, posting and running off to bed to get a few hours of sleep before her morning classes.

Gumi has a routine. She comes home and checks her messages on YouTube, whether she has homework or not. It's irresponsible, but if she doesn't do it things start to pile up. She checks the comments on the video, and they're pretty typical.

**marcyyyyyy **_seven hours ago_

Fiiiiirst :D

**AntiVANTAS** _seven hours ago_

dunno why this was in my suggestions :P whatevs. her other videos seem pretty funny

**TotesaTsundere** _six hours ago_

whooo! its good to hear youre back at least

**TotessTsundere** _six hours ago_

wait is that your soul mark?

_**View Replies**_

**bunnytalk** _six hours ago_

oh gosh you're right

**ChibiLeviSan** _six hours ago_

D:

**TotesaTsundere **_five hours ago_

too bad it doesnt match mine

lol jk :)

**secretlyAkoala** _five hours ago_

nuuuuu gumi-chan is mine you can't have her DDDD:

_-end of comment thread-_

**Mayberry Madness** _six hours ago_

i thought she doesn't like showing her mark?

_**View Replies**_

**Caramelsweetie** _three hours ago_

She doesn't. Don't bother her about it; it was probably a mistake

**Mayberry Madness** _forty-five minutes ago_

i wasn't going to :/ i was just curious

_Well, shit,_ Gumi thinks. Too late now. What a stupid mistake.

It wasn't like she was ashamed of her mark or that she didn't want to find her soulmate. She just didn't particularly want the entire internet to be privy to that knowledge. Her mark was her own and as much as she loved her fans, she didn't appreciate what they might do as a result of seeing her mark. It had happened to other YouTube vloggers; their mark is revealed and everyone rushes to find their soulmate. More often than not, they go too quickly and meet before they're ready. Gumi doesn't want that for herself or for her soulmate.

With a groan, she checks her inbox, rooting through the messages and deleting what she really just doesn't have the patience to deal with at the moment. She pauses momentarily on one message, the subject line intriguing yet worrying in its own way. With one click of the mouse, that message would be gone. Or she could open it and face the consequences of reading a message entitled _Dear Soulmate._

She opens the message from the YouTube user shadowillusions and reads.

_Hi there._

_Not sure how to start this off, but I guess I should elaborate on who I am._

_I'm some boring college student on exchange and my sister referred me to this video, actually. My name is Rei and I'm twenty as of three months ago. To get to the point, my soul mark is an awful lot like yours. It could be a mistake since I didn't get a proper look, but I thought I might as well message you anyway. If you want to see what mine looks like, I can send you a few pictures. If you want nothing to do with me, that's fine. I'll understand. Just message me back your decision and we'll go from there._

_-Rei_

She gnaws on her lip. Well. Shit.

* * *

_Hello, Rei. _

_I'm glad you contacted me. Even though I'm a bit surprised and not entirely sure what to do, I appreciate it. I'm sure we can figure out what to do together! As long as we don't rush into anything. Quite frankly, I don't feel comfortable having a relationship with a stranger just because our marks happen to match, though I'm glad to hear you're around my age. You've probably seen some of my other videos at this point to learn more about me, but if you have any questions, I suppose I wouldn't mind answering them! In the meantime, since it's likely neither of us are prepared to jump into a relationship, why don't we talk a bit? Feel free to email me!_

_-Gumi :3_

* * *

_Gumi, _

_Thanks for replying. I was honestly really worried about messaging you. It's okay to be unsure; I know I am. And by no means am I prepared for a relationship with someone. I feel a little creepy knowing so much about you and seeing you in videos and you've barely even talked to me, so I think your suggestion is probably the best way to go at the moment. You seem really interesting._

_I'll try to email you soon. If I'm being honest, I'm not online a lot. My sister is a fan of yours and referred me to your channel when she recognized your mark. I adore my sister, so if we're going to be talking in the future, you'll probably be hearing a lot about her. Just a warning._

_-Rei _

* * *

"So, how's that boy you've been talking to lately?" Miki asks in her _I'm totally teasing but if you want to answer go for it_ voice. She uses that voice a lot on Gumi, actually. Maybe Gumi's just really teasable.

"Rei?" Gumi clarifies as she guzzles down coffee. It's late and the two of them are studying at the university library. Literally, screw finals.

"Yeah, that one," Miki winks at her suggestively. "Wasn't he going to send you a photo at some point."

Gumi rolls her eyes. "I don't want to push it. He seems really nice, but neither of us know the other well enough for a relationship. These things take time, you goof."

"I resent that," is Miki's reply. She sounds so peppy and excited it's almost infuriating. How is the red-head still alive, let alone awake?

"Me calling you a goof or the time relationships take to develop?" Gumi asks.

Miki pauses to think a moment before deciding. "Both."

"You are impossible."

Miki shoots her a grin. "Oh, you love me."

"Not nearly that much."

"Have you exchanged phone numbers yet?" Miki asks.

If this was a cartoon, this would be the point where Gumi does a spit take, spewing coffee all over her textbooks and notes. Luckily, this is real life, so Gumi's lifeline is safe for now.

"Do the words 'internet predator' mean anything to you?" Gumi deadpans. Her friend shrugs.

"I dunno, I just figured that since you two have been talking for so long, you might as well," Miki explains. "At least Skype or something. It's been what, like two months?"

Gumi shakes her head. Miki's private little world where soulmarks always work out and everything is made of cotton candy and rainbows would be a lovely place if it were real. Unfortunately, things do not always work out perfectly. Gumi has known too many people and heard too many stories to think soulmates are perfect. The system is flawed, even though she believes in it. She just hopes she isn't making the wrong choice taking things slow.

* * *

_**Pastrybabe says**_ _reiiii_

_**Pastrybabe says**_ _reiiiii guess what_

_**Shadow says**_ _Hm?_

_**Pastrybabe says**_ _i passed my exams :DDDD_

_**Pastrybabe says**_ _i could have done better but eh i'm just glad i passed_

_**Shadow says**_ _Well, congrats._

_**Shadow says**_ _Are you going to celebrate?_

_**Pastrybabe says**_ _already am :3_

_**Pastrybabe says**_ _lil drunk rn so excuse me if i get weird_

_**Pastrybabe says**_ _just like_

_**Pastrybabe says**_ _leave me entil the morning and then tell me to never do that again_

_**Pastrybabe says **__*until_

_**Shadow says**_ _I'm sure I can manage that_

_**Shadow says **__Although avoiding underage drinking is generally advised, you doof._

_**Pastrybabe says**_ _aw look at lil rei and his made up words_

_**Pastrybabe says **__das so cute 333333_

_**Shadow says**_ …

_**Pastrybabe says**_ _ohhhh no rei_

_**Shadow says**_ …

_**Pastrybabe says**_ _i'm sorry DDDD:_

_**Pastrybabe says**_ _that was probably a little weird wasn't it_

_**Pastrybabe says**_ _sorry i have like no boundaries when i;m drunk_

_**Pastrybabe says **__*i'm_

_**Pastrybabe says**_ _rei D:_

_**Pastrybabe says**_ _say something D:_

_**Shadow**_ _**says **__You are ridiculous._

_**Pastrybabe says**_ _:DDDDDD_

_**Shadow says**_ _I've got to go now. _

_**Shadow says**_ _This isn't me being scared off by drunk Gumi or her affection because the hearts were fine and I know how damn cute I am, thank you very much._

_**Shadow says**_ _This is me saying "It's eleven at night and I have class in the morning."_

_**Pastrybabe says**_ _aw ):_

_**Pastrybabe says**_ _well, as long as it wasn't my fault_

_**Shadow says**_ _Not at all._

_**Shadow says**_ _Goodnight, Gumi. Enjoy your celebration :)_

_**Pastrybabe says**_ _u 2 babe #3_

_**Pastrybabe says**_ _nah not even gonna bother fixing it_

_**Pastrybabe**_ _has left the chat_

* * *

Miki tosses her hands up in the air dramatically. "You are so in love with him."

Gumi groans into her cereal. She doesn't want to eat. It feels as though her stomach is trying to crawl up her throat and deposit itself on her table, but Miki's forced her to sit down and eat _something_. Gumi has never had a hangover before. Gumi has never gotten drunk before. Most importantly, Gumi has never drunk messaged someone.

"Not now, Miki," she tells her friend as she pathetically rests her head on the table. The cool wood is soothing. What isn't soothing is the clatter of Miki's spoon on the table. Gumi's head rings at the sound. This is the first time in her life she has been grateful the internet created the phrase _can u not_, as it applies perfectly to everything regarding Miki at this moment in time.

"Yes, now! You threw up on my bedroom floor, so you totally deserve this."

Gumi doesn't have the energy to protest as she lazily rotates her head to give Miki her most pathetic puppy face. It doesn't work at all.

"You deserve this," Miki repeats. "You've been avoiding the topic for months now. You are totally falling for him and I don't understand why you're not just going for it!"

"It's too early and I am too hungover for this," Gumi groans, her nose pressed into the table and her voice muffled by the polished wood. "We'll talk tomorrow."

"I'm holding you to that," Miki threatens.

And as much as Gumi tries to avoid it, the next day Miki manages to trap her at lunch, eyes keen and ready for attack. She's spent the past few hours avoiding her friend successfully, which she doesn't really understand. She understands why she can't just go for Rei yet, but explaining it, saying those reasons aloud… It just seems silly. Nevertheless, she has to, as it's either this or facing the club president who has been bothering her for months. Miki really knows how to play her cards, apparently.

"So."

Miki sits back in her chair, unimpressed. They're outside, the pair of them munching on salads from the food bar at the university. Gumi's stomach can't handle much else.

"So," Miki says in an unimpressed voice. "Rei."

"He's nice," Gumi admits.

Miki looks exasperated now, arms crossed and expression saying the phrase _Really? That's all you have to say?_

"Come on, you goof. I'm your best friend. I expect you to do the same thing to me when I meet my soulmate. Unfortunately, I'm not a internet-famous vlogger, so I guess my experience might be different. But still," Miki concludes, holding Gumi's gaze.

"Okay, fine. I'm definitely interested in him. If he went to our university, I'd date him. No question about it," Gumi states, picking at her salad. Her stomach growls but the salad suddenly seems so unappetizing. "But he's in England and we've barely talked face to face. It's unreasonable to want a relationship with someone across an ocean."

Miki shrugs. "Not really. I mean, you've known each other a while. Just, you know, try to get to know him better. Chat over the webcam more. It's obvious he's not an internet predator at this point."

"But isn't this kind of weird?"

Miki looks confused. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I know long distance internet relationships happen, but they normally don't happen with the knowledge that the two people are destined to be together. I think it's kind of unfair to just assume Rei will go along with it at some point. He has his own life and his own people who aren't me," Gumi sighs. "As much as I'd like to tell him that maybe there's something, I don't think it'd be right for me to just barge into his life and say 'Well, guess the universe put us together.' That's exactly what I've been avoiding my entire life."

"That's kind of how it is for all soulmates," Miki reassures her. There's a calm energy to the girl that's comforting, and Gumi can barely stand to keep silent as she continues. There's just so much she could tell Miki. _God, Miki. Rei's eyes and Rei's stupid sense of humor and goddamn his love for his family… How was I __**not**_ _supposed to fall for him?_

"Okay, so don't go for it just yet. Let things take their course. You two have been great friends so far," Miki encourages with a kind smile. "There's no need to rush."

Gumi rolls her eyes. Her friend changes her mind like no other person. Well. At least she's supportive. It probably helps that Gumi was honest, though she still feels dumb talking about this. She fell for rei way too easily. And who isn't to say this isn't a brief thing? Maybe she'll wake up sometime in the next week and find someone else to fawn over. You never know.

But Rei is her soulmate. It's worth a shot.

* * *

_Gumi,_

_It's been a while. I figure that, since your vacation started, you're probably busy with family. I know I am. But I guess I just miss talking to you, so email me back whenever you can. Not to be pushy or anything._

_-Rei_

* * *

_Gumi,_

_Sorry again. I hate to clog up your inbox, but it would be really nice to talk to you. I've been having some personal issues and, well… I don't know. I really don't know anymore. I just feel like I can talk to you about it since you aren't in the middle of it. That's probably dumb. Anyway, email me when you can. I miss you._

_-Rei_

* * *

_Gumi,_

_I'm probably just being paranoid at this point, but I feel like you might be avoiding me. If you are, I really hope I didn't do anything to upset you. If you want, please feel free to tell me what I did. I'll try not to bother you anymore._

_-Rei_

* * *

_Hi, Rei. I'm Gumi's friend, Miki. She told me to email you._

_She's had an accident and she hasn't been able to get to the computer. Don't worry! She's fine now, but the doctors are under the impression that "contacting her soulmate would be stressful on a healing body" or some crap, but she really wants to talk to you! She's sitting next to me right now sleeping. She looks adorable, but the way ****suggestive winking****_

_I'll try to sneak in a computer or something for her to message you on, but for now you might have to wait a few days. She's really sorry! She got super stressed when she woke up and realized how many messages she has from you. In the meantime, I can pass on a message if you want :3_

_-Miki_

* * *

Gumi wakes up to blurry lights and bright faces. Or is it bright lights and blurry faces? She isn't entirely sure. Not that that's her main priority.

"Hm?" she asks. Her throat is dry and she can't seem to get anything else out, but whoever is near her jumps on her sound like a thirsty animal.

"Gumi? Baby? Are you awake?" it sounds like her mother and it appears that there's… relief? Yes, relief in her voice. Gumi's head is a mess of fuzz and static and broken images, but she blinks up into Sonika's face. Her mother looks about ready to sob in relief.

"Hm," she repeats. She doesn't try to sit up. Her spine aches and she wonders about the bandages across her left wrist, but otherwise she doesn't feel a lot of pain.

"Hospital?" she croaks. Sonika nods.

"Yes. Yes, you're in the hospital. That stupid bookshelf we never got around to securing to the wall finally gave out. Oh, honey," her mother's warm, dry hands smooth hair from her forehead. "It landed right on you. I feel so entirely stupid for letting this happen."

"Not your fault," Gumi assures her in that rusty voice. She aches and wonders exactly how one suffers this badly from a goddamn falling shelf. Only her luck could have wrought this.

"Miki's been around to see you. She's staying at the house, the poor dear." The unspoken words _You're lucky to have a friend like her_ hang in the air between mother and daughter, and Gumi's tired fingers seek the woman's wrist. With a sigh of both exhaustion and relief, Gumi relaxes back into her bed, her heavy eyelids sliding closed and blocking out her vision.

When she wakes up again, Miki's standing over her with a dumb smile on her face.

"How could you do this to me?" Miki demands immediately. "Do you know how worried I was?"

"Next time, I'll make sure I don't land in the hospital," is Gumi's sarcastic reply. "Shelves these days have no respect for worried best friends."

Miki psuedo-hugs her, arms gently patting her shoulders and red hair obscuring Gumi's vision. She takes in her friend's scent, which is so relaxing and familiar against the clean hospital smell. Her head reels in the familiarity of strawberries and she regrets the moment that Miki has to pull away.

"You're a dork," Miki tells her.

"I'm your dork," Gumi replies.

"Nah, your Rei's dork."

At the mention of her soulmate, the girl almost scrambles from her bed in an effort to find the nearest computer, muttering a curse under her breath as she realizes how stupid this idea is. Her entire body protests and again she wonders how the hell someone gets this banged up from a falling shelf. What did they have on that damn thing, rocks?

Miki just laughs at her as she settles back in bed. "I'll message him later," she tells her friend. "I already talked to your doctors about it and they don't seem keen on the idea of you exerting yourself by talking to him just yet."

Gumi makes a face.

"Don't be a drama queen," Miki tells her sternly. "It'll just be a few days."

"Should've given him my number," Gumi mutters in reply. She doesn't see the light that appears in Miki's eye as she says this. Which is just as well, really.

"Come on, you poor, injured babe," Miki coos sympathetically. "Let's get you comfortable again."

Gumi grumbles and shifts back into a nice position, her blankets pulled up over her aching body. Miki sticks around a while, and Gumi tries to stay awake through the visit. Slowly, though, she once again falls asleep.

* * *

_Hello, Miki. That's really unfortunate. Actually, if I'm being honest, that's absolutely terrifying. What in the world happened?_

_Of course, if Gumi would rather you not say, just ignore my question. I'm glad she's okay, though. Thank you for telling me._

_-Rei_

* * *

_According to her mother, a loose shelf fell on her ): She broke her arm and apparently something happened to her head? I don't know, I'm not a very medical person. According to the doctors, she lucky to have her spine intact. As it is, she seems to be in a lot of pain. Poor dear… _

_She'll be out in a few days, I think. The doctors need to check for internal bleeding or something, and make sure she can walk well enough. Geeze, it's just so scary to think about. Gumi says hi, by the way! I visited her today and she asked what I said to you. She also says that you shouldn't worry and she misses you, too :)_

_You two are just the cutest :D_

_-Miki_

* * *

_I wouldn't say we're the cutest, but thanks for the support. _

_That all sounds really bad. How can I not be worried after that? Oh, well. I'm just glad she's awake, I guess. I wish I had a message for you to give her, but I honestly… I just don't know. I hope she feels better soon. _

_-Rei_

* * *

_Ahhhhh you're so sweet Rei. I'm going to steal you from Gumi. Lol jk nah I wouldn't do that. Actually, there was something I wanted to talk to you about…_

* * *

Gumi's mother is collecting her personal items as the nurse helps Gumi into a wheelchair. Thanks to a vase, the heel of Gumi's left foot has been slashed to hell, with eleven stitches tracing the skin. Her spine is a mess and her skin is marred with superficial bruises and cuts. Luckily, though, she's been deemed well enough to go home.

Gumi offers to take her bag, but her mother won't hear of it, choosing instead to haul it over her own shoulder and follow next to her daughter as the nurse pushes her wheelchair down to the front entrance. All the forms for her discharge have been taken care of, and Sonika seems just as relieved as she does to finally be leaving.

"Oh, I almost forgot. Here," her mother says, offering something out to Gumi. It turns out to be her cell phone, charged and ready to go. A sense of relief floods through her as she takes it, immediately scrolling through her messages. Her heart warms at the various _get well soon_ messages on the screen. She nearly drops the phone when it begins ringing. People glance up all over the front lobby as she fumbles to answer, the caller id reading "Answer this or else." Obviously, someone's been messing with her contacts.

"Hello?" she asks, her voice stronger than it had been in days before. She doesn't entirely know what to expect.

On the other line, she hears scuffling. Static. Then, "Hi, Gumi."

She recognizes his voice from the few Skype calls they've had, even over the distortion of the phone.

"Rei?" she asks. Her mother is mouthing _Who's Rei?_ at her, but she chooses to ignore this. She swears her heart is beating faster.

"The one and only." There's a smile in his voice that allows Gumi to relax a bit. "I hope you don't mind me calling. Miki just thought it might be nice to talk to you on your release day."

"It's not a problem. I'm glad to hear from you," Gumi jumps to assure him. "I've missed you."

Rei pauses before replying. "I missed you, too."

"How are you?"

"Probably better than you."

He has a point there. "Well, I'm sure that all of your bones are intact. I meant more emotionally. I managed to catch some of your emails. Are you okay?"

There's another pause. Gumi has no idea what to expect next, and that one silent moment seems to stretch on forever as her mother and the nurse exchange glances off to the side.

"I'm okay now," he says. "It was just some… drama. My friend, she's been having some difficulty with her soulmate. And I've always kind of had a secret thing for her, so I guess it just hit me hard that she's not being treated like a princess. But talking to you is helpful, even when nothing much is said."

"You're a true romantic," Gumi says before she can stop herself. "I mean-"

"No, it's okay. I know things are… kind of weird between us. But I guess that's how things go. We have time to figure out how we feel. I know you matter to me, Gumi, however things go. God, you have no idea how worried I've been since- Well, you know."

"Yeah," Gumi replies, for lack of anything better to say. "I mean, you matter to me, too. And I'm sorry to hear about your friend."

"It's fine," Rei replies. "Really, I've just come to accept it. Miku's my dearest friend."

"You're more mature than me," Gumi confesses. She glances to her mother, who is looking on curiously with a very telling expression. "Hey, do you mind if I call you later? Say, an hour or something? I'm leaving the hospital right now and my mom's waiting on me."

"That's fine. I'll talk to you later, Gumi," he says. Then, "Stay safe."

"Yeah. You, too," she replies.

And then she hangs up.

"Was that a boy?" Sonika demands.

The groan in Gumi's throat rattles her entire body as she tucks her phone away.

* * *

**The screen-name "Pastrybabe" came from Gumi's song Coward Montblanc, for those of you who want my logic behind dumb things.**

**Review if that's your thing. If not, see you later!**


End file.
